Mr. Richard Harris,
Member of Parliament - Cariboo-Prince George
Dear Sir:
I recently read a quote by a learned statesman addressing a meeting to review the Veterans Review and Appeal Board that stated: "Folks, I really want to thank you for coming today, and thank you for the job that you do, because standing up for our vets in any way you can, and particularly in your position, is so important. It's so important that they receive absolutely the best care and all of the help we can give them."
"Hear! Hear!" were the cries from the gathered crowd. What a fine way to put it! It is crucially important that our veterans receive "absolutely the best care and all of the help that we can give to them."
Their service is immeasurable. I have never fought for my country. I hope that we are never in a position that I or many others would have to fight for our country.
But that does not mean that we do not respect our veterans. They are men and women, young and old, who have given much to defend this country and the values to which we aspire. Some have given all that they can. The death toll from Afghanistan continues to rise even after our soldiers have come home.
So, Mr. Harris, when I hear you making such a statement - recognizing the debt that we owe is substantial and that we must do our best by these men and women - it makes me think that the government is on the right track doing the right thing.
Of course, you made these comments back in October 2012, in a committee meeting.
More recently, you were asked to take forward the concerns of local veterans to the Minister Responsible for Veterans Affairs. The Prince George office closed last January. It served about 1,400 clients at the time but now most of the files have been moved to the Vancouver office, which was downsized.
While everyone knows that your government believes times are tough, closing the local office in a region as large as northern B.C. should probably be considered a bad investment in our veterans. It's hard to see how having to deal with an office hundreds of kilometres away by phone is "absolutely the best care."
But I know that you have said: "I can tell you honestly that I have not had a single call from a veteran in my riding telling me that they are needing service and can't get it - not one." In all truth, though, can you really claim that having to call Vancouver and deal with people that you have never met or seen via a phone call is "all the help that we can give to them"?
Further, veterans in this region might not be complaining about lousy service to you but that does not mean that the service is the best that there is. Indeed, veterans have put up with some pretty rough conditions during their tours and didn't complain. Maybe measuring the number of complaints received by your office is not the best approach.
Similarly, you pointed out that you visited three Legions and met with 18 veterans with 11 satisfied with their treatment. Perhaps this is not the most representative of samples. Do you not think that a little discussion about the issue with the 1,400 veterans who are your constituents might have been more appropriate?
Alas, the whole issue appears to have come to a head in Ottawa as I understand it. Thousands of former Canadian soldiers rallied last week to protest the Conservative government's decision to close eight Veterans Affairs offices across the country.
I know that Minister Fantino has dismissed the outcry as being manufactured by the Public Service Alliance of Canada but I am sure that you know that the fine individuals who work tirelessly on behalf of veterans are "standing up for our vets in any way [they] can." Isn't that why you praised them not so long ago?
I would think that there would be a certain amount of shame and embarrassment on the part of a government that is willing to send soldiers overseas to stand in harm's way but unwilling to do everything in their power to help those that return home. What have we come to when an 83-year-old veteran stands before a crowd to say that he feels betrayed by the government's decision to close his local office?
There is an implicit social covenant that countries have with their military - fight our wars on our behalf and we will fight your battles when you return home.
It seems that we may not be living up to our end of the bargain and providing "absolutely the best care" that we can.
Sincerely, Todd Whitcombe
